Review of software for optical analyzing and optimizing heliostat fields

Hector, a new methodology for continuous and pattern-free heliostat field optimization

“…In fact, EH achieves more homogeneity and density in front of the receiver. Additionally, to compare these results with external tools, a field has been designed with the popular and free software package SAM (System Advisor Model) [37,38], version 2017.9.5. This tool can design a radial-staggered pattern for a given region and receiver.…”

A concise overview of heliostat fields-solar thermal collectors: Current state of art and future perspective

“…Based on the classification given by Garcia et al, the first group of codes are capable of precisely calculate the thermal and optical performances of the field. There are quite a few codes that can be utilized for heliostat field thermal and optical analysis including HELIOS , MIRVAL, ASAP, OPTEC, SOLTRACE, Fiat Lux, SOLVER, TONATIUH, Raytraces3D, CRS4, SOLFAST, STRAL, SPRAY (MIRVAL), HOpS, and ISOS …”

New functionalities for the Tonatiuh ray-tracing software

“…One of the limitations identified in previous versions of Tonatiuh was the absence of a post processing utility for analysing the various radiative flux parameters [2]. Instead, Tonatiuh users had to rely on external tools, such as Matlab R , Mathematica R or R, to post-process the results, which is a less user-friendly approach compared to having a built-in Tonatiuh utility.…”

“…The development of Concentrating Solar Thermal (CST) technologies requires suitable tools to design, analyse and optimize optical systems. During the last decades, several software tools have been developed using convolution or ray tracing techniques [1,2]. The detailed study of the solar flux in complex geometry systems, such as plants with cavity receivers or receivers with secondary concentrators, is mostly performed using software tools applying ray-tracing methods [2].…”